Devoted his whole life to the great piece Science and Civilization in China, Joseph Needham was a legend himself.
Born into a Scottish learned family 1900, Joseph got his bachelor degree from Cambridge 1921, master degree in 1925 and doctorate some time late the same year. Although his major targeting chemistry and profession being a biochemist, Joseph Needham devoted his whole life writing Science and Civilization in China, in short SCC, which was started and fully prepared during WW II when he was working and doing some research in China. 
From a Chinese overseas student Lu Gwei-Zhen, later his mistress, Joseph got to know the splendid history of China's ancient civilization. Joseph began learning Chinese ever since and his sinology enjoyed a great reputation among the sinologists then. Joseph felt puzzled why China was left far behind the western powers even before the first opium was in 1840.  Joseph Needham wanted to know the answer and he tried to gain a research program in China and in February of 1943, Joseph came to Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan in Southwestern China. Joseph and his team covered so many places and met with all walks of life in China. The materials and first-hand information were fully obtained through their tough work and research. Many well-learned Chinese scholars warmly encouraged Joseph to complete such a piece of great work and they also tried to provide some helpful information Joseph needed as these Chinese professors really wanted to know the real reason why China had been overtaken by the western powers in science and technology, despite of its earlier successes, especially from a view of a well-known British sinologist.   
Fully prepared for 5 years, Joseph Needham formally handed in his writing scheme  Science and Civilization in China to Cambridge Press in May of 1948 and only one week later the Cambridge Press proved his ambitious writing plan.
Great thanks to Cambridge, Joseph was relieved the teaching tasks so he could spend his whole time and energy to the writing. With a help of his assistant Wang Ling, Joseph could have the work printed piece by piece as soon as one copy was completed from the typewriter.
Volume I. Introductory Orientations
Volume II. History of Scientific Thoughts
Volume III. Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and Earth.
So on and so forth.
Joseph's great contribution to China is let more people get a glimpse of ancient civilization of China. His greatest regret is that he failed to find the real reason why China had been overtaken by the western civilization 200 years ago. The backwardness is due to limiting human invention of Confucianism or Taoism, the real truth is yet to be found.